Edward Norton Confirms He Won’t Play Hulk in THE AVENGERS

Consider this Confirmation #3 regarding Edward Norton not returning to play The Hulk in Marvel’s The Avengers. Norton has put out a message via his Facebook page stating “It seems it won’t work out for me to continue playing Bruce Banner for Marvel in ‘The Avengers’. I sincerely hoped it could happen and be great for everyone, but it hasn’t turned out as we all hoped.”

Norton’s announcement follows a press release from Marvel this weekend where the studio said they wanted an actor “who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members,” and Norton’s agent fired back in his own press release stating that the behavior of Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige was “unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory.” Hit the jump to read Norton’s full statement to his fans. The Avengers is slated to open on May 4, 2012. It’s been rumored that Marvel may now want Joaquin Phoenix to play the Hulk.